The following description includes information that may be useful in understanding the current invention. It is not an admission that any of the information provided herein is prior art or relevant to the presently claimed invention, or any publication specifically or implicitly referenced as prior art.
The cloud speaker lamp relates generally to a device which produces both audio and visual output for the purpose of enjoyment, relaxation and the like. This invention makes use of certain synergies between the technologies of audio, illumination, music, and mechanical construction. It includes the combination of lighting and sound.
Electronics have been used since their inception for producing radiated sound. The history of electronic signals creating mechanical motion resulting in radiation of sound waves extends from the earliest cardboard-cone loudspeakers with the cone placed in motion by a coil in a magnetic field. The cloud speaker lamp achieves mechanical motion via an enclosure, coupled to a transducer.
The enclosure plays an important role in the resulting sound, since its construction directly determines the efficiency of conversion from the electrical impulse to a mechanical input via the transducer and then to a sound pressure at each frequency in the audio band. Enclosure designs have ranged from simple rectangular boxes to elaborate labyrinths featuring internal ducting and external ports. Some designs introduce a combination of direct sound radiation from cardboard loudspeaker cones facing the listening area, and reflected radiation of the same program material aimed at the surface behind the device. The various technologies have largely achieved the goal of accurate realistic reproduction of electronic audio signals, providing a consistent level of conversion of voltage into sound pressure.
The history of stringed musical instruments has highlighted a different set of requirements in the production of radiated sound. Throughout the development of these instruments the construction of the instrument has been recognized as crucial to production of the proper tone, related to the frequency modifications applied to the tones by the construction. A simple example is the shape of the body of a guitar or violin resembling a dog bone with one end larger than the other to create two distinct resonances in the audio range. A Stradivarius violin looks similar to a music store violin, but the sound quality of the two instruments is worlds apart. This is the result of hundreds of details of material thickness, bracing, and shape which create a very specific frequency characteristic in the vintage instrument. This sound production system depends on the enclosure construction to provide warmth and personality to the original tone. The ultimate goal of the cloud speaker lamp with regard to the sound generation is a full-range audio reproduction system, enhanced using the techniques described herein, which provides a distinctive sound combined with the ability to reproduce the audio content while staying within the visual and functional requirements.